10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
20,757 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Mazda CX-5 brakes problems

brakes problem

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2016 Mazda CX-5 Owner Comments (Page 3 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #23

Feb 152016

CX-5

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The brakes have been faulty since I've purchased the vehicle new. There is a loud scream that is not from dust or wear. There is a manufacturing defect in the brakes. The brakes are very loud every time I apply them. I am very concerned about this, have contacted the company before.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #22

Nov 032018

CX-5

  • 35,000 miles
Ebrake would not disengage on the Mazda Cx-5 2016 GT with city brake and electronic E-brake at 36,100 miles during various parking locations scenarios. Vehicle would start normally at push of start button but the E-brake light would stay on in the flashing mode. Turn engine off/restarting would resolve the problem temporarily just to return to the same issue at random parking locations. Dealership suggested a replacement battery main 12 volt battery for $185+tax+installation. Battery replacement suggested based on a claim of low voltage measured at the E-brake switch located on the center console. There was no other solutions provided by the dealership for further testing/isolation of issue priir making a payment, to include confirmation that in fact the battery is the culprit. Utilizing an alternate/test battery could be a temporary testing solution. Payments were made as requested and the issue of the flashing E-brake light flashing/E-brake not disengaging is less apparent with 2 incidents 1 month after battery replacement. Incidents observed while in covered/uncovered parking scenarios, outside temperature oscillate from 75 to 92 F. vehicle rear brakes were replaced under 5000 miles by dealership due to noises and premature wear. Vehicle also has a Mazda remote start system installed by dealership with a history of electrical failure of the A/C compressor. Documentation available for review.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #21

Dec 122018

CX-5

  • 20,900 miles
Excessive rear brake wear. Rear pads worn down to metal backing plate at 20,900 miles with no audible break wear indicator. Front brakes 70% worn at same milage.

- Swanton, MD, USA

problem #20

Sep 222018

CX-5

  • 32,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My fiance started to hear a noise coming from my rear when brakes while I was driving. I also noticed that my car would rock when I took the parking brake off. I was told that my rear brake pads were worn down, the rear passenger side had slightly more wear then the the rear driver side. New pads were installed around 32,000 miles. About 8,000 miles later I started to hear the same noise again, this time it was worse. I took in again to get looked at and the rear passenger pads were completely worn down, while the rear driver pads barely had any wear to them. I was told it was most likely a malfunctioning caliber. Mazda ran my VIN and stated that is came up as a tsb but stated that I was out of warranty and that they would not cover it. I would like to report this because I am afraid that when I drive my vehicle my brakes will malfunction causing me get into an accident which may result in death.

- Hamilton, NJ, USA

problem #19

Jun 042018

CX-5

  • 45,000 miles
When replacing rear drivers side rear brakes and rotor, noticed excessive wear compared to passenger side. Replaced pads and rotors on both drivers and passengers rear. Twice since the replacement, the rear brakes have stayed engaged on the drivers side, causing excessive heating, smoking, etc to the brakes, wheels, and tires. Suspect parking brake on driver side not disengaging. Have stopped using parking brake. Have not had repeat occurrance since stopped using parking brake.

- Garnet Valley, PA, USA

problem #18

Jun 242018

CX-5

  • 18,168 miles
I slowed down in my neighborhood, going about 10 miles and hour, and was coasting into a parking space at about 5 mph in my home neighborhood. It was about 1:15 pm on a sunny, clear day. I was applying the brake to stop the car as I pulled into the spot yet I was going slow and coasting straight into the spot. Suddenly, the car sped up, the brakes had no response, and the car jumped over the curb and ran into two bushes. I did not have my foot on the accelerator, I had my foot on the brake...but more than anything, I had no control, it was unintended acceleration. Then the car stopped after I hit the bushes. I was shaken, but no bags deployed. I then moved the car off of the grass, and pulled the car around to the same parking space. This time the car stopped normally. I have 18,168 miles on this car. I have been the only owner. I am afraid to drive this car because I am concerned it will do this again and I will be in traffic or near people and I could hurt or kill myself or someone else. There was no warning of any problem.

- Lower Gwynedd, PA, USA

problem #17

May 122018

CX-5

  • 12,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car is a 2016.5 Mazda Cx-5 with approx 12,000 miles. Car began making a grinding sound while driving; made an appointment with Mazda to look into the problem. Dropped off the vehicle May 11, 2018, picked up the vehicle May 12, 2018. Service technician stated it was the vehicles brakes, which are not covered under warranty, and would need to be paid out of pocket. I was surprised to hear I needed new brakes due to the low mileage and age of the vehicle so I brought the car to my personal mechanic, to get a second opinion, before having any expensive repairs performed by Mazda. Local mechanic (midas shop) said that the rear brakes were entirely worn down (outer pads only) and had worn down so much, they had damaged the rear brake rotors while the rear inner pads appeared to have minimal wear consistent with the age of the vehicle. Front brakes also looked to have minimal wear consistent with the age of the vehicle. Midas recommended the rear brake pads and rotors be changed immediately for safety purposes; and commented how unusual this brake problem seemed. Upon getting home, I searched the internet and found tsb #04-005-16-3217; NHTSA #10092486 (amongst others) that tell of a similar issue. Upon going back to Mazda with the brakes and rotors that had prematurely failed and explaining the tsb's online, and requesting a refund for the money spent at the local shop; I was told there was nothing they could do. I just feel that Mazda should have replaced my brakes and rotors upon my initial visit, knowing that this appears to be a common issue in cars with low mileage.

- Mineola, NY, USA

problem #16

Mar 182018

CX-5

  • 18,000 miles
I pulled into a parking space and before I could put the car in park it jumped the curb and hit a vacant building. Their were damages to the glass windows and the frame of the build is what stopped the car.

- New Rochelle, NY, USA

problem #15

Dec 152017

CX-5

  • 16,000 miles
Our 2016 Mazda Cx-5 has 16,000 miles on it and the rear brakes have completely deteriorated. After visiting the dealership, I was told the brakes have rusted out due to the use of the parking break (we need to use the parking break due to where we park). Mazda claims this is a normal 'wear-and-year' issue but I do not see how this is as the vehicle has such low mileage. The 2013-2015 Cx-5S suffered a similar issue where Mazda will fix and replace the brakes. However for us, they claim this is our fault although the vehicle is less than two years old.

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #14

Dec 082017

CX-5

  • 8,300 miles
In August 2016, I bought a brand new 2016 Mazda Cx-5 (dealership: Wellesley Mazda). Unfortunately, the car had issues related to my brakes. On December 08, 2017, the brakes of my right rear tire locked up while I was driving in a city street (35mph zone) causing them to overheat to the point where the brake disc got red hot and smoked up, increasing the risk of my tires blowing out/catching fire due to the heat generated by friction. In addition to this being a safety risk for myself and other people on the road, this was extremely inconvenient. My car was in no condition to be driven and I was stranded alone in the middle of the night. This is not the first time this issue occured. I had a similar complaint in August 2017 where the left wheel locked involuntarily while I was driving. I was fortunate that I was able to notice the smoke before things got worse and that this did not cause a collision. Wellesley Mazda replaced the calipers, brake disc etc. Only for that particular tire, despite my repeated requests to replace those for all the tires or for at least that axle. My car has only run ~8,000 miles, I am regular with my car's maintenance and my last service was on 12/04/2017. Mazda is telling me now that this was a known issue with the calipers and there was a service bulletin for this. However, I was not made aware of the this issue and the safety bulletin. This could've been done on multiple occasions: A) when the issue with the left brake happened B) when I reported a grinding noise coming from my car (in Sept or Oct) C) when I got my car serviced. They were not able to detect this issue and as a safety precaution did not replace the other caliper, a decision that proved to be incorrect and a risk to me and others. There are no recalls either.

- Cambridge, MA, USA

problem #13

Dec 092017

CX-5

  • 39,975 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Dec 9, 2017 - today was first day of snow and first day in my >2 years of driving Cx-5 that I experienced loss in braking, which scared the hell out of me. It happened thrice within span of 20 minutes. Each time I started the car and tried to brake for the 1st time, it wouldn't stop and rolled over for atleast 3-5 feet even when I had the brakes pressed to the floor. Thankfully it was on internal roads and I was at 15 mph anticipating stop signs at intersections. It hasn't happened to me before during last year winter season, so not sure what is causing it.

- Westfield, NJ, USA

problem #12

Sep 302017

CX-5

  • 14,000 miles
Rear brake pads and rotors show severe wear at 14K miles. Rotors have visible wear marks and corrosion. Braking function impaired and pedal must be deeply pressed to achieve deceleration. Dealer said this is normal wear and tear and replaced pads. However even with new pads, braking is still mushy. 2015 and 2014 model years had similar problem / tsb. Appears that manufacturing defect continued into 2016 model year.

- Armonk, NY, USA

problem #11

Jun 012017

CX-5

  • 6,300 miles
Car has 6379 miles. Brakes grabbing and car jerks at times when peddle applied. Car has 20% brake pad lr 20% rr 50%rf 50% lf. Took into Mazda dealer and the solution was to replace pads. With 6379 miles driven mostly on highway is this a faulty pad product? happens at low speeds when stopping. Started 06/17 and still happening.

- Buhl, ID, USA

problem #10

Aug 012017

CX-5

  • 26,000 miles
Grinding and squeaking in rear brake pads and rotors only. Car has 26,000 miles on it with visible marks on rear rotors only! noise happens while driving or braking

- West Hartford, CT, USA

problem #9

Jun 102017

CX-5

  • 1,048 miles
While driving on a slope with bit of curve on a highway when I applied a mild brake to reduce the speed, the car abruptly moved straight left and goes off road. The brake and steering didn't respond immediately for few seconds and the car keep going down off road on a very rough terrain. Luckily it stopped few meters before a sharp fall.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #8

Jun 142017

CX-5

  • 500 miles
In traffic when the cars ahead suddenly stopped. I applied breaks hard and they kicked back, resisting my efforts to stop. Narrowly avoided accident by shifting into N and hitting the break again. I stopped a few inches from the vehicle ahead !

- Redmond, WA, USA

problem #7

May 232017

CX-5

  • 3,800 miles
The electronic parking brake locks the rear wheels as designed. The toggle switch that activates the brakes has direct control that does not go through the anti-lock brake system or the on board computer. Once the parking brake is activated, at any speed, there is a two step process required to release the brakes and allow the rear wheels to rotate. In my case, the accidental activation of the brake switch at less than 10 mph locked up the rear brakes and the car came to a very abrupt screeching halt. If I were going faster when this occurred, the brake lock up could have led to a loss of control of the vehicle.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #6

May 182017

CX-5

  • 2,751 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Mazda Cx-5. while driving 5 mph, the vehicle accelerated and increased rapidly without warning. Also, the brakes failed to work. As a result, the contact drove over a small tree and then crashed into another tree, which helped stop the vehicle. The contact sustained muscle, neck, and back pain. Medical attention was not required. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,751.

- Hampton, VA, USA

problem #5

Dec 292016

CX-5 4-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
Mazda has a tsb 04-005/15 that needs to be expanded to include the 2016 model year; currently it only covers model years 2013-2014, build before Oct 9, 2013. My 2016 CX5 (with less than 30,000mi.) has experienced the same failure as described by Mazda's tsb (excessive outer brake pad wear with little inner pad wear). Madza service managers are not honoring this tsb if the VIN is after the effective date. Sorry I don't have any photos at this time to document the problem. I have attached Mazda's tsb 04-005/15 which describe the problem and their proposed solution, and how they have extended the vehicle warranty period for having this issue repaired.

- West Chester, PA, USA

problem #4

Nov 172016

CX-5 4-cyl

  • 20,700 miles
Electronic parking brake stays engaged while driving causing brakes excessive wear and brake failure. Five 2016 CX5 vehicles manufactured in same 5 month period came to dealership with same problem. Problem first detected by squeaking. Problem gets worse until difficult to stop when braking. Grumbling noise in front caused by bad bearings. Providing dealer records and parts that have been ordered. Concerned that Mazda has not addressed this issue which may not manifest itself for a year or more after purchase. Mazda is still selling the 2016 models since the 2017's have been delayed. Mazda has had rear brake problems in its previous models of CX5 but does not address issues on the 2016. Concerned that someone may be seriously hurt or killed by this braking issue. Car has been in service since November 17 2016 because suitable parts are still on order. Worried that with time parts will deteriorate again. Please see part number of the epb unit still outstanding on attachment.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

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